SOKY Outdoors: Local Early Season Bucks

Successful Edmonson County hunters gather to show their early season bucks. (Left to Right: Trevor Davis, Joey Decker, Corey Culbreth, and Kyle Culbreth

column and photo by Josh Boyd;
As many area hunters are well aware, Edmonson County has gained quite the reputation for producing trophy bucks on a yearly basis. The Edmonson County countryside offers the perfect blend of agricultural food sources and abundant cover to facilitate the growth of true monarch whitetails. With every passing week, it seems that new stories of successful hunts make their way through the area’s communities.

Although characterized by relentless heat and hampered by the effects of a growing EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) outbreak within the local deer herd, the earliest portion of archery season has been relatively eventful in Edmonson County. Despite the obstacles that this season has presented, a handful of area hunters have managed to put their tags on some true Edmonson County giants.

Kyle Culbreth started the season off with a bang right out of the gate. Through diligent scouting and trail camera monitoring, Kyle had become aware of the presence of a true monster whitetail buck that was frequenting a property that he hunts. At dusk the evening before the season began, a photo of the buck was captured on Kyle’s cellular trail camera. The following day, as season opened, Kyle headed to the field in pursuit of the buck. That afternoon Kyle was able to harvest this buck of a lifetime, which green scored 165 4/8”.

Not to be outdone, Corey Culbreth also got the season started in excellent fashion. Going into archery season, Corey had his eyes on a buck that he had watched on trail camera all summer. However, this buck was no stranger to Corey, as he recognized this buck from the previous season. On September 15th, Corey connected on the deer that he had watched patiently during the summer months. Once measured, Corey’s buck green scored 146 ⅛’’

Trevor Davis is another hunter who made his early season efforts count. After relentlessly scouting and studying deer for the duration of the summer, Trevor headed to the field with a sound plan in mind. Trevor had located a buck that had gained his attention, and continued to pursue this buck for the first weeks of season. After several patient sits on stand, and a sighting the weekend before, Trevor was able to harvest his buck on September 26th, which green scored 145 6/8”.

To close out the month of September, Joey Decker was able to capitalize on an opportunity of an enormous Edmonson County buck. This particular buck had quite the history and had become well known to many area hunters. The buck, nicknamed “Traveler” by many in the area, had been widely known for his extensive travels as he moved from one location to another, covering a large expanse of ground. After watching this deer for two years, Joey was able to harvest “Traveler” on September 29th. The buck’s preliminary green score was 175 1⁄8".

With archery season only a month old, and early muzzleloader season right around the corner, it goes without saying that many more Edmonson County hunters will join the ranks of success during the 2019 season. As the temperatures begin to fall and the leaves begin to turn, opportunities for quality hunting will continue to present themselves. For those who have not yet punched their tag, there is no time like the present to stock the freezer, make an abundance of long lasting memories, and enjoy the infinite peace that a day in the Edmonson County woods provides.